Stress and Cervical Cancer

February 18, 2008, 11:59 am
Daily Stress May Raise Cervical Cancer Risk

For years, scientists have shown a link between stress and poor health. But a new study highlights how in women, chronic daily stress may be far more damaging than major stressful events like divorce or job loss.

Researchers at Fox Chase Cancer Center in Philadelphia studied how stress affects the body's ability to fight off the human papillomavirus, or H.P.V. The virus is spread during sexual intercourse, and while most infections disappear over time, common subtypes of H.P.V. can sometimes lead to cervical cancer.

"H.P.V. infection alone is not sufficient to cause cervical cancer," explained lead author Carolyn Y. Fang. "An effective immune response against H.P.V. can lead to viral clearance and resolution of H.P.V. infection. But some women are less able to mount an effective immune response to H.P.V."

In a study published this month in the Annals of Behavioral Medicine, Dr. Fang and her colleagues studied how stress affects the body's ability to clear H.P.V. They asked 74 women with precancerous cervical lesions to answer questionnaires about their perceived stress in the past month and about major stressful life events like divorce, death of a close family member or loss of a job.

No significant associations were found among women who reported major stressful events. But women who perceived their daily lives to be stressful were more likely to have an impaired immune response to H.P.V.

"That means women who report feeling more stressed could be at greater risk of developing cervical cancer, because their immune system can't fight off one of the most common viruses that cause it," said Dr. Fang.

NYTimes